Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

D eclan almost laughed at the look of alarm on Piper's face.

"What?" she asked. "Why? We can't just tell her?"

Declan hadn't felt this good in a long time. He felt so free, like he was taking control back from the life that had been wrenched away from him so brutally. "You already told my mom we weren't romantic, so for this to sound real and not just a knee-jerk defensive move after her offer, we need to get caught. Make it seem like we didn't plan to tell her."

Piper leaned against the back of the couch, bracing her hands. "I get that," she said slowly. "What do you propose?"

"She knows I'm at your place right now, working on your bathroom, right?"

Piper nodded.

"So, she's only going to wait so long until she decides to march over here and find me."

Her eyes widened. "Tonight? You want to get caught in bed now? "

"We only have three weeks. We need to get started." His mind was whirring as he strategized. "She wouldn't walk into your house if the door is closed, so we'll leave the front door open just enough that she invites herself in. And your bedroom door will have to be open as well, because she'll have to walk past it to get to the bathroom."

Piper took a breath. "Wow. Just wow. We haven't even kissed yet, and you want to get me in your bed."

He grinned at her sass. Her attitude was perfect. "No. I want to be in your bed." He stood up. "Let's do it. She won't wait much longer."

Piper let out a little groan. "I'm feeling very awkward about getting into bed with you."

"Pretend I'm a plant."

She laughed, a soft chuckle that made him smile. "A flowering cactus," she said as she stood up. "That sums you up."

"I'm not that bad."

She glanced at the clock on her wall. "I only have a few minutes. I need to get going."

"My mom won't wait long, trust me." Was he really agreeing to this insanity? Yes, he was. Apparently, he was officially desperate.

"Okay, then. I'll get the door." She jogged across the living room, as if she also felt the sudden tension between them.

"Great." He walked into the living room, suddenly noticing the gentle sway of her hips. The loose pants didn't hide the way she moved, sexy and natural, like she was a cat, lithe and agile.

Damn.

He'd never thought of Piper's walk before. He needed to stay focused. This would never work if he actually let himself be attracted to her. Jellyfish. Jellyfish. Jellyfish.

She opened the door and peered out, then jumped back. "She's on her way here!"

Adrenaline rushed through Declan, but he didn't move. He wouldn't push Piper, no matter how much he wanted to make this work. "Ready?"

She met his gaze, and he saw trust in those brown eyes. Real trust, which made him pull his shoulders back. He wouldn't let her down. "I'm ready," she said, her voice firm and committed .

He grinned. "Then lead the way."

They both heard the crunch of his mom's high heels on the walk outside. Piper burst out laughing, and then took off in a sprint up the stairs. Declan hustled after her, trying not to limp.

They ran into her bedroom, and Piper pointed to him. "Shirt and jeans off," she said. "Toss them on the floor by the door."

"Yes, ma'am." He turned his back on her while he ripped off his clothes. Downstairs, he heard his mom shout their names.

"Ready!" Piper whispered.

He turned and saw she was under the covers. The sheet was up to her armpits, but her shoulders were bare. Sudden awareness coiled in his gut. How naked was she beneath those blankets?

His mom called for them again, and then he heard her start to climb the stairs.

Piper flipped the comforter back, leaving the sheet across her body. He strode across the room. The moment he landed in the bed, Piper whipped the comforter over him. He rolled on top of her, leaving the sheet between them.

The heat from her body was intoxicating, and he had to steel himself from the feel of her body under his. It had been a long time since he'd been in bed with a woman, and his body responded fast and hot.

Piper wrapped her arms around his neck. "Kiss me like you can't live without me," she whispered.

"No jellyfish," he said.

She rolled her eyes. "Please, no jellyfish."

It felt like ages since Declan had kissed a woman. He knew this moment was for show only, but the feel of Piper's body beneath him made it very difficult to remember that. He had a sudden memory of the last woman he'd kissed, and a sudden chill consumed him. He swore. He couldn't do this. "Piper?—"

She pulled him down and kissed him.

The moment her lips touched his, the cold vanished. Heat flooded Declan, awakening desire he hadn't allowed himself to feel in years. He growled low in his throat and angled his head, taking over the kiss. Piper locked her feet behind his lower back, drawing him against her pelvis. His cock got hard, but there was no time to think about baseball.

He tunneled his fingers though her hair and kissed her fiercely, basking in the feel of her lips against his. Warm. Soft. Inviting. Completely trusting him even though he was pretty sure the only thing she was wearing was her underwear. He could feel her breasts against his chest, and the thin sheet did little to mute the sensation.

Declan slid his arm around her shoulders, drawing her into the protection of his body even as he deepened the kiss. Their tongues brushed against each other, and he went with it. The kiss turned to fire, pouring through them both.

Piper let out a little noise of desire that went right to his gut, and he slid his left hand down her side to her hip, cradling her against him?—

"Declan! Piper! What are you doing?"

They both froze, and it took Declan several seconds to pull his focus off the kiss and remember why they'd done it. He swore audibly and rolled off Piper, pulling the comforter up to her chin, but Piper yanked it right over her head, shrieking with muffled laughter.

"Mom! Don't you knock?" He tried to hit the right note of embarrassed, annoyed, and protective.

His mom was standing in the doorway, her mouth open in stunned shock. The look on her face was comical, and he had to bite his lower lip to keep from laughing. He could feel Piper shaking against him as she tried not to laugh, and her muffled giggles made it even harder to keep a straight face.

"Piper!" Kitty squawked in outrage. "You specifically said you were not sleeping with my son! I know you're under there!"

Piper stuck her hand out from under the comforter and fluttered her fingers. "Hi, Kitty! So good to see you again."

The absurdity of seeing Piper's hand waving like a surrenderer flag above her head when the rest of her was buried under the blankets was hilarious. "Mom! Privacy, please." Declan fought not to laugh, but it wasn't easy. Piper was cracking him up.

"I'm glad you guys think this is funny," his mom said. "I will be forever scarred. No mother needs to walk in on this."

Declan grinned. "Well, maybe next time knock. Just a thought."

"I would have knocked if I had any inclination this could be happening! But Piper lied to my face, and I believed her." She paused. "Well done, Piper. I had no idea."

"Thanks, Kitty," Piper poked her head out from under the covers. "You know, I've always strived to be a good liar. I appreciate the acknowledgment of my skills."

Kitty rolled her eyes in exasperation, her hands on her hips. "Are you guys coming out of there soon? I have questions. So many questions."

Of course she did. "The door, Mom."

"Trust me, I'm closing this door. See you downstairs. I'll give you five minutes." She pointed at both of them. "Three minutes. Got it?"

They both nodded.

"All right, then." Kitty finally backed out of the room and pulled the door shut.

Piper flopped the covers down and burst out laughing. "Oh, God. Her face! That was so funny?—"

"I can hear you," Kitty yelled through the door. "I can never unsee that, so thank you very much for that."

Piper grinned. "You're welcome! Glad to be of service!"

"Go pour some wine, Mom," Declan called out. "We'll be down in a minute."

"Champagne. We need some champagne. Or tequila. I'll find some." Kitty's heels clicked down the hall.

Declan fell back against the pillow, his arms over his head. Holy shit. "Wow," he said. "That was actually incredibly awkward." He decided to blithely ignore how intense the kiss had gotten.

"It was hilarious." Piper propped herself up on her elbows. Her face was glowing, and she looked so amused. "I've never seen your mom speechless before. That was at least two, maybe three seconds of silence there. I feel so powerful."

Piper's hair was tousled, and her lips were pure temptation. Being propped up on her elbows had made the sheet slip down, revealing the swell of her breasts. Declan could see the outline of her nipples peeking out, and need surged through him. He immediately dropped his forearm over his eyes to block his view of her. "My mom's not going to leave until we go down there and answer all her questions about our romantic life."

"Right. I know. We need to go quick though, okay?"

"Sure." He was curious why she was in a hurry, but making a Kitty Interrogation short worked for him.

The bed moved as Piper got out. "Wasn't that great? We totally did it."

"We did," he agreed. "It was brilliant."

He could hear her getting her clothes on. "We're a great team," she said. "This just might work. Honestly, I wasn't sure if I could handle kissing you, but it was fine."

Fine? Fine. He grinned. It had been so much more than that. "No jellyfish?"

"Just a little, but I can steel myself to endure it. I'm ready. You can open your eyes."

He moved his arm, and he saw she'd put on a short black skirt, pale blue tank top with lace, and sandals that made her legs look sexy as hell.

He liked it. A lot.

Wow. Just…wow. Why had he never noticed how damned adorable she was? And why was he noticing now? Being attracted to her was not part of their deal, and he needed to stop that shit immediately.

He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and grabbed his jeans. He swore as he thought about going downstairs and facing the inquisition. "She'll be relentless."

"I know." Piper paced the room. "We don't have a story yet, so we'll answer questions one at a time and just make it up as we go along. We'll try to remember all the details. Cool?"

He pulled his shirt on. "Piper. We need to talk about something." Shit. Shit. Shit.

She paused to look at him, apparently hearing the edge to his voice that he'd tried to neutralize. "What's wrong?"

He sat on the edge of the bed, braced his forearms on his thighs, and took a breath. "My mom's going to assume you know about my past."

Piper turned to face him. "She did mention something earlier when she was trying to bribe me to date you."

He swore. "Yeah, if I don't tell you, she'll make sure you know. I want you to hear it from me." Fuck. He didn't want to do this. But he had to do it. He needed to control the narrative. To control his emotions. To prepare Piper.

Piper walked over and sat on the carpet in front of him. She folded her knees and wrapped her arms around them. "Okay."

She was so calm. So non-demanding. So practical. It took some of his tension away. He let out his breath. "I was married."

Her eyes widened slightly. "Really?"

"Yeah. She died a while ago." Piper's mouth dropped open, so he kept talking, not wanting to give her a chance to ask questions, to interrupt, to put emotions into his story. "That's why my mom wants me to date. She's worried about me. I'm fine. I just don't want to date anyone." He wasn't fine, but it was his problem to deal with, not his mom's.

Piper nodded slowly. "Okay."

He could tell she wanted to ask questions, but he didn't leave space for her. "As you know, I was a cop, but I was kicked off the force due to injury. My family is worried about me. That's why mom is trying to set me up. I'm fine, but they don't believe it." He paused. "That's it."

Piper stared at him. "That's a lot."

"It's not. It's just information for the role you're playing. Okay?" His palms were sweating, but he forced himself to stay calm as he stood up. "Ready?"

She didn't move. "That's it? Just drop that and then walk away?"

"Yes."

Piper stared up at him, and he tensed, ready for her to protest, to hug him, to cry for him. The minute she did, he was pulling the plug on their deal. He didn't want to get personal. He didn't want to feel anything. That was the whole point of this arrangement.

But to his surprise, Piper stood up. "All right, then. As you wish. Let's go lie to your mom. After we satisfy her, though, we have to go see my client."

And just like that, Declan felt back in balance. Piper had given him the space he needed. He'd faced the worst, bringing up his past, and he'd survived it. "Tonight?"

"Tonight. And you better be convincing as the greatest fiancé that any woman has ever had. Ever. Hot. Wealthy. Sexy. And head over heels for me, in a sexy way, not a stalkerish way. Got it?"

"Adorable, not creepy." He couldn't believe Piper had let him simply move on from that bombshell he'd dropped, but he was incredibly grateful. "Got it."

"Great." Piper slanted a glance as she walked past him toward the door, and he felt the weight of emotion in her eyes. Even though she'd given him space, she was looking at him differently.

As everyone always did. "I'm not broken," he said as she reached the door.

"No, I can see that," she said. "Cactuses aren't broken. They're just cactuses."

"I'm not a fucking cactus."

"You are, and that's okay." Piper adjusted the strap on her right sandal, drawing his attention to her pink toenails, which were really freaking cute. "Just so you know, if you ever want to talk about your past, I'll listen. And I won't even make you date anyone. "

And just like that, the rest of his tension vanished. "You can't make me date anyone. We're engaged. That would just be weird."

"Not my style, at least." She watched him as she said it.

"Not mine either," he assured her. "I'd never cheat, even in a fake relationship."

"Okay." Visible relief flashed across Piper's face, but she didn't give him time to ask any questions about her visceral response to the cheating question. "Is your mom going to ask us about our favorite sexual positions? Because if she does, I feel like I might have to bow out of the conversation."

Declan burst out laughing. "If she asks us about sex, I'm the one who's going to take off running."

"So she might ask us that?"

"It's my mom. Anything is possible."

"Wow. Okay. I'll just start asking her whether she thinks that I should put up with your grumpiness or try to change you. That'll distract her before she can get to the sex questions."

"I'm not grumpy."

Piper raised her brows.

"Am I?"

"Are you?"

He frowned. He was used to having his family call him on his moods, but he'd discounted them as overprotective. But Piper calling him on it gave it more validity. More truth. Maybe. "No. I'm not grumpy."

"All right then. I'm so glad we cleared that up. See you downstairs, poochikins." She blew him a kiss, then darted out the door and raced down the stairs.

Declan stood there for a moment as he heard Piper call a greeting to his mom.

He'd been prepared for Piper to get touchy-feely when he'd told her about Diana, and he'd steeled himself to be hard. To feel nothing. But she'd sassed him right out of his melancholy and guilt with stunning ease.

He laughed suddenly, a snort of laughter that felt awkward and uncomfortable. He'd picked the right fiancée to keep him from dwelling on the fact that she was the first woman he'd kissed in a very long time, the first woman he'd wanted to kiss, the first woman who knew how to get under his skin in all the right ways.

Okay, yeah, he had noticed all those things were happening with Piper, but they weren't suffocating him, because Piper was…well… Piper.

He felt alive for the first time in a long time. Three years. Longer, if he factored in the way she made him laugh. Laughter had been a lot longer than three years.

But more importantly, Piper made him feel protective of her. She was sassy, funny, and determined, but the little she'd shared with him had gotten him fired up in a damned hurry.

Piper was a freaking blast of sunshine, and it was bullshit that people were trying to bring her down.

He didn't like it, and he was going to help her.

And it felt good as hell to care, to have a mission, to focus on her, instead of his own shit. She'd gotten him out of his shadows and focused on hers. It had been a long time since he'd felt like being the man his dad had trained him to be, but Piper had ignited something in him that he'd been missing.

This fake fiancée was going to be exactly what he needed.

For the first time in years, he had hope.

Hope that he wouldn't live in darkness forever.